Pope Benedict, in the strongest language he has ever used in relation to clerical child sex abuse, has expressed his own "personal anguish and horror" at what happened in the Ferns diocese over a 40-year period from the early 1960s onwards.
He said the "incomprehensible behaviour" of some clergy in Ferns had "devastated human lives and profoundly betrayed the trust of children, young people, their families, parish communities and the entire diocesan family".
Pope Benedict's comments were made public last night by the director of the diocese of Ferns communications office, Fr John Carroll. The pope was speaking during a private audience at the Vatican for the new Bishop of Ferns, Most Rev Denis Brennan, who is accompanying the other Irish Catholic bishops on an ad limina visit to Rome.
The 271-page report of the Ferns inquiry, chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Frank Murphy, was published a year ago. It identified more than 100 allegations of child sexual abuse made between 1962 and 2002 against 26 priests operating under the aegis of the diocese.
It severely criticised the way complaints against priests had been handled by the church authorities, particularly by the former bishops of Ferns, Donal Herlihy and Brendan Comiskey.
Yesterday was the first time Pope Benedict had commented on the Ferns inquiry report.
Colm O'Gorman, the director of the charity One in Four which supports people who have experienced sexual abuse, said last night that any expression of concern for those who had been abused was welcome.
However, he said the pope had not responded to the findings in the Ferns report which said the Vatican had failed in its responsibilities in relation to child sexual abuse perpetrated by its priests.
"The pope's words of care are welcome, but action is always more meaningful than words," Mr O'Gorman said.
"As the supreme head of the Catholic Church, only Pope Benedict can act to put in place a mandatory child protection policy underpinned by church law right across the Catholic world. That he has failed to do so highlights the continuing failure of the Vatican to address this issue in any meaningful sense," he said.
Mr O'Gorman said that One in Four was also concerned that the child protection policy unveiled by the Irish Catholic Church in November 2005, "Our Children, Our Church", had yet to be either sanctioned by Rome or implemented across the Irish church.
According to the statement issued by the Ferns diocese yesterday, the pope "expressed to Bishop Brennan his deep sorrow and distress at the suffering endured by the victims of child sexual abuse involving some priests of the diocese of Ferns.
"He asked Bishop Brennan to assure those who have been sexually abused by priests, of his concern for them and his deep regret at the harm and suffering they have experienced. His prayer at this time is for healing and peace of all those who have suffered."
The statement added that "Pope Benedict also asked Bishop Brennan to convey to all the faithful of the diocese of Ferns his care and solicitude for them, as supreme pastor of the universal church.
"The Holy Father expressed prayerful solidarity with the lay-faithful, religious and priests of Ferns in the sufferings they have endured and in the deep pain caused by the scandal of sexual abuse of the young, by some of those entrusted with the sacred ministry."
The Irish bishops are coming to the end of their two-week ad limina visit to Rome. Such visits to the Vatican by bishops' conferences take place every five years.
Due to the illness of Pope John Paul, however, it is seven years since the last such visit.
